~~Love Spans All Time~~

So often we are told to stick to one genre of romance. Today I am interviewing multi-published romance author Sloan McBride. From pirates to demons to FBI agents to firefighters and Highlanders, Sloan McBride writes them all with a paranormal twist.

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Welcome Sloan…

Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?

Hmm. Well, I’m tall and leggy, with a brilliant smile and a brilliant mind.  Okay, that’s only in my dreams.  I’m not that tall or leggy, and I have more of a creative mind than a brilliant one.  LOL

I live in Illinois with my husband of 36 years, a son who graduated from college with a degree in film, and a daughter who just graduated with a BFA in creative writing, and she’s a brilliant editor.  I have opened a new business to provide various services for authors on their road to publishing utilizing both her and my skills – World of Dreams Publishing.  I’m trying to talk my son into doing book covers and book trailers.  It could be a family affair.  Alas, he has other ideas.

I have been writing all my life, and started writing professionally in 1998.  I have been fascinated by the paranormal from a very young age and even then read everything I could get my hands on.  It made sense that I would be a paranormal writer.  I’ve always been a romantic so paranormal romance just fits.

Is writing something that comes easy to you or not?

Writing flows easily when I am alone and have complete quiet.  That doesn’t happen very much in my life though so writing is sometimes slow—okay, most times slow.  The ideas for books comes easily.  I have many rattling around in my head. It gets hard to concentrate on other stuff sometimes.

What do you do when you are not writing?

I work at the day job, and I spend time with my family.  Family is number one for me, and I won’t change that.  That’s pretty much it.  I work a lot.  I used to have craft hobbies, but when I started writing all that got put away.

What was the most interesting place you ever visited?

The most exciting and interesting places I have visited is Scotland and Ireland.  Edinburgh, Scotland was incredible.  I was surrounded by historical buildings that they still use today.  We went to visit Trinity College in Ireland.  They have the biggest, most spectacular library I’ve ever seen.  It was wonderful.

Do your travels influence your writing?

It depends on where the travels take me.  Different places interest me so I like to research those.  In my first book, the heroine was a volcanologist so I got to study some volcanoes in Hawaii.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t afford to go there so I had to do it all via internet.  However, I contacted the volcano institute there and told them what I was doing, and they sent me some really great information.

How much research do you do for each book you write?

It depends on the subject matter.  I love research.  If it is something I’m interested in, which is everything that I write about, then the research excites me and I can get lost for weeks at a time doing it.  I did research for two years before writing my first time walker novel.  I had to find the right mythology to go with the idea I had formed in my head.  That’s not easy, I’ll tell you.

Do you ever experience writer’s block?

I don’t get writer’s block.  I do need it quiet when I write though, and I never get that.  It does prevent me from writing when there is too much noise.  I write in my bedroom which is the gathering place for my kids.  They will come in to talk and that disturbs the flow.  Still, I know at some point my children will be leaving home, and I won’t have that anymore, so I relish the time.  My only quiet time lately is going out to my car during my lunch hour.  I can get several pages written when I do that.

Have you written a book you love that you have not been able to get published?

I’ve read all kinds of articles and posts about authors who write their first book and then it ends up in a closet or under the bed, never seeing the light of day again.  I have never done that.  All the books that I write are published.  If something doesn’t work, I keep tweaking it until it does.  I could never put something that I’ve put my heart and soul into under my bed or in a closet.  All the stories are too important to me.

What project are you working on now or what book will be next?

I am currently working on Highland Soul.  This is a second book that takes place in 1300s Scottish Highlands and involves the MacLeod clan.  Highland Stone was my debut novel.  Although I didn’t plan on writing a second book, a lot of people asked for Ramsey and Leelah’s story so I broke down and decided to do it.  It will now be Book 2 in The Talisman Trilogy.  I’m very excited to be working on it.

Are there certain characters you would like to get back to or is there a theme or idea you’d love to work with?

I am anxious to get back to the time walkers.  But, I have The Talisman Trilogy and the Men of Fire Trilogy to finish first.  My critique partners and my daughter have been nagging me to get those done before I focus on the time walkers.  I’m the kind of person who writes on what I feel like writing on at the time.  I don’t plan it out and say I’m going to finish this first.  If my mind is filled with time walkers, then that’s what I want to write.  However, when I start a book, I keep at it until it’s done.

What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author?  What has been the best compliment?

The toughest criticism was that my first book felt like it was written by a high schooler years ago.  Now, I know that you can never please everyone, and my stories may not appeal to everyone.  I don’t let these kinds of things upset me.  However, I did go back and read and edit the crap out of that book when I got the rights back from the publisher.  I am very pleased with how it turned out.

The best compliments were that one person compared me to Nora Roberts and one to Diana Gabaldon.  Now, I love everything that Nora Roberts writes.  She’s the queen of romance, and when I grow up, I want to be just like her.  ?  I wish I had a quarter of the talent that both women have in writing.  One has movies made of her books, the other has a running show on HBO.  Those things are on my goal sheet.  LOL

Do you have any advice to give aspiring writers?

My best advice is to write.  Write all the time, as often and as much as you possibly can.  It is the best way to take your craft to the next level.

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